Day three Vierdaagse

The continuing warm weather made 964 people give up the Vierdaagse. 39.755 Walkers are hoping to start and finish at the last day on Friday. Like the Tour de France Day three brought the participants along the Zevenheuvelenweg van Groesbeek naar Berg en Dal. The comparison with the Tour de France seems obvious. Along the Zevenheuvelenweg people park their campers, tents, caravans and cars already days before the Vierdaagse passes by. It is a big party and people come back for this event within the event, year after year. The walkers are treated on refreshments while climbing the hills along the road. The only difference with he Tour de France is that it is here about walking instead of cycling! Vierdaagse Sponsorloop (charity) Many participants don’t just want to walk four days, get the award and go home. They want to do something more and add more value to the Vierdaagse in the form of a sponsoring. If they finish the four days then their sponsors automatically spend their support for charity. The walkers see it as an extra drive to don’t give up, because if they do, the charity program will not get the money from their sponsors. Since it is not so easy to organize such a sponsorship all by yourself, there is an official website, ‘De Vierdaagse Sponsorloop’, which brings sponsors and walkers plus charity organizations together. And the system works! On Thursday evening the total sponsored amount reached already 219.062 euro and this was gathered by 368 walkers who walk for 7338 sponsors. The amount, when everybody finishes, will go to 146 different charities. A day in Brabant Thursday the Vierdaagse passed Mook and Milsbeek which are part of the province Limburg. On the last day the Vierdaagse will spend a lot of time in the province of Brabant. Via Grave, Gassel en Beers, the Vierdaagse will arrive in Cuyk where the party is already going on for days, DJ’s, orchestra’s, bands perform everywhere in the small city. The walkers will get an idea how it will be on Friday night when they have finished their job successfully. Via Gladiola Upon entering Nijmegen, the final destination of four days walking, the walkers will be cheered by tens of thousands of people. Along the last meters to the finish they are handed over gladiolas, the traditional flower which is offered to the ‘gladiators’. The road leading to the finish, St. Annastraat, is baptized on Friday as ‘Via Gladiola’. After Party The walkers who have still some energy left can enjoy the whole Friday night, until the early morning on Saturday, a huge party in the inner city of Nijmegen. It will be the last day of seven days partying.